Method of making shoes



Oct. 12, 1937. c. D. MERRITT METHOD OF MAKING SHOES Filed Nov. 6, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet" 1 Oct. 12, 1937. c. D. MERRITT 2,095,262

METHOD OF MAKING SHOES Filed'Nov. 6, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 12, 1937 UNITE star 2,095,262 METHOD or MAKING snoss Gland D. Merritt, Rutherford, N. J., assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Paterson, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application November 6, 1935, Serial No. 48,535

3 Claims.

Thisinvention relates to improvements in the manufacture of shoes and particularly to methodsof producing shoes having cement-lasted toe portions.

i I Objects of the invention are to increase the rate of production of shoes having cement-lasted toe portions and to minimize the amount of skilled labor necessary for their production.

It has been customary, after a shoe wasxpulled over and side lasted, to present it to the bed laster who, of course, was a skilled workman. The bed laster, after removing the toe tack, would put the shoe in his machine and, after making one or two preliminary upwipes and overwipes, would back off the wipers and trim out the lining and toe box substantially flush with or alittle above the plane of the insole. He would then apply cement to the insole and to the inner face of the lasting allowance and wipe the toe portion of the upper into finally lasted position. Since the cement was green, it became necessary to applyheat or pressure or both for an appreciable time to cause the cement to become sufiiciently set to permitsafe removal of the shoe from the machine.

I have discovered that by having the trimming and cementing operations performed in an earlier stage in the manufacture of the shoe by unskilled operators I am able materially to increase the production of.shoes bythe skilled operator of the bed machine and to reduce to a material extent the total cost of shoe production. To this end, the shoe is pulled over in a usual manner, the upper being thus tensioned longitudinally and given its proper set with respect to the last, and the toe portion of the upper, including the toe box, shaped more or less completely to the toe end of the last. The amount which the lining and toe box extend beyond the plane of the insole will also be determined. The next step is the trimming away of the excess of the toe box and lasting allowance which extends beyond the plane of the last. bottom. This may be done by an unskilled operator by means of a usual hand knife or machine, the object being to remove most of those portions of the toe box and lasting allowance which would lie between the upper and the insole when the upper is lasted in and thus permit direct engagement of the upper with the insole. Frequently about one eighth of an inch of the lining and toe box is allowed to extend beyond the plane of the last bottom in order to protect the upper where it is bent over the edge of the last.

Next, by the same operator or by another, ce-

ment is applied to the margin of the insole and to the inner face of the upstanding portion of the upper which is to be laid into contact with the insole. The cement employed is one, such as rubber cement, which, a short time after it is-applied, becomes tacky and capable of producing immediately a strong bond when the coated surfaces are pressed together. After the cement is applied, a sufficient time is allowed to elapse for the cement to become tacky and capable of immediate adhesion,

Then the shoes are presented to the bed lasting machine operator who has only to put the shoe in his machine and give the toe a single upwipe and overwipe with the wipers of the machine to produce a well lasted toe. v

In the drawings, I

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the shoe after it has been pulled over and side lasted;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the step of trimming out the lining and box at the toe i Fig. 3 is, a perspective View showing the application of cement to the margin of the insole and to the lasting allowance of the upper; and

Fig. 4 isa perspective view illustrating the operation of the bed lasting machine in wiping the upper into finally lasted position.

In the practice of my improved method, the shoe may be first pulled over in any usual manner, for example, as shown in Fig. 1 where an up- 0 per iii, a toe box l2 and a lining I4 have been pulled over a last I 6 on which is an insole it. The side pulling-over tacks are shown at 20 and the toe pulling-over tack at 22. Following the pulling-over operation the side lasting of the upper may take place in any usual manner, for example, as shown, it may be worked into lasted position and secured to the insole by means of curved staples 2 3 or in any other usual manner. By the pulling-over operation the longitudinal position of the upper is determined and its toe portion shaped more or less completely to the toe portion ofthe last, thus determining the amount of the upper materials which will extend beyond the plane of the insole. side lasting, may be presented to an unskilled operator who will remove the tack 22 and, by any usual means, as shown in Fig. 2, for example, a hand knife 26, trim away the portion of the toe box l2 and lining I4 or other layers of the upper materials which extend beyond the plane of the insole l8, leaving only the outer layer of the upper materials, that is, the upper Ill.

The shoe, being now in the condition shown in Fig. 3, will be treated with cement by the same The shoe, after or another operator. For .example, a latex or rubber cement may be applied by a brush 28 to the inner surface of the upper l0 and to the marginal portion of the insole l8. Cements of this nature, when first applied, are soft and slippery but after the lapse of a short time become tacky and remain in that condition fora considerable time. It is well known that when such tacky surfaces are pressed together they adhere immediately with great tenacity. After the lapse of a sufficient time for the cement to reach the desired tacky condition, the shoe is presented to the operator of the bed lasting machine where, as illustrated in Fig. 4, the upper is worked into finally lasted position. In this operation the operator will usually need to give the upper only a single upwipe with wipers 3e which may be assisted by a band 32, this upwipe being suificient to tension the upper materials heightwise of the last and to shape them about the toe so that finally, when the wipers 30 begin to move over the last bottom and to press the cemented surface of the upper [0 against the cemented surface of the insole l8, the visible portion of the upper of the shoe toe will be completely lasted and no retraction of the wipers will be necessary, so that the single overwipe may continue and thus Work the lasting allowance of the upper into finally lasted position by a single stroke.

By this method, since the skilled operator of the bed machine is relieved of the necessity of performing the trimming and cementing operations, a great amount of his highly paid time is saved and the relatively unskilled operations of trimming and cementing are performed at an earlier stage in the operation by cheap labor, the total result with the practice of my new and improved method of making shoes being that the cost of production is materially reduced without sacrifice of the quality of the shoes.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. That improvement in methods for use in the manufacture of shoes which consists in pulling over a shoe, side lasting the shoe, removing the toe pulling-over tack, trimming away the portion of the lining and toe box which extends beyond the plane of the insole, applying to the inner face of the lasting allowance of the upper and to the margin of the insole a cement which becomes tacky after a lapse of time, and thereafter, when the cement has reached a tacky condition, placing the shoe in a wiper lasting machine and utilizing the wipers for working the upper into finally lasted position to be held in place by the tacky cement without reactivation thereof.

2. That improvement in methods for use in the manufacture of shoes which consists in pulling over a shoe, side lasting the shoe, removing the toe pulling-over tack, trimming away the portion of the lining and toe box which extends beyond the plane of the insole, applying to the inner face of the lasting allowance of the upper and to the margin of the insole a rubber cement which becomes tacky after a lapse of time, and thereafter, when the cement has reached a tacky condition, placing the shoe in a bed lasting machine and utilizing the wipers thereof for working the upper by a single wiping operation into finally lasted position to be held in place by the tacky cement.

3. That improvement in methods for use in the manufacture of shoes which consists in pulling over a shoe to shape the upper to the toe portion of the last and determine the amount of the upper and toe box which will extend beyond the plane of the bottom of the insole, removing the toe pulling-over tack, trimming away the portion of the lining and toe box which extends beyond the plane of the insole, applying to the inner face of the lasting allowance of the upper and to the margin of the insole a cement which becomes tacky after a lapse of time, and thereafter, when the cement has reached a tacky condition, placing the shoe in a machine having toe-end em bracing wipers and utilizing said wipers to wipe the upper by a single wiping operation into finally lasted position to be held in place by the tacky cement.

CLAUD D. MERRITT. 

